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UNACO
Death Train
The United Nations Anti-Crime Organization sends a special team to Europe to stop a stolen shipment of plutonium
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
8 people are currently reading
287 people want to read
About the author
Alastair MacNeill
35 books37 followersAlastair MacNeill was born in Greenock, Scotland in 1960. His family emigrated to South Africa when he was six, settling in the coastal city of East London.
He returned to the United Kingdom in 1985 hoping to pursue a career as a writer. He submitted a manuscript to HarperCollins Publishers and, on the strength of it, was offered the chance to write a novel based on an outline by the late Alistair MacLean. He eventually wrote seven novels based on MacLean synopses and has also written five novels under his own name.
He lives in Sheffield.
He returned to the United Kingdom in 1985 hoping to pursue a career as a writer. He submitted a manuscript to HarperCollins Publishers and, on the strength of it, was offered the chance to write a novel based on an outline by the late Alistair MacLean. He eventually wrote seven novels based on MacLean synopses and has also written five novels under his own name.
He lives in Sheffield.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 11, 2024
This is a novel that was supposed to be based upon a Alistair MacLean screenplay meant for a series that never materialized. It was then written by Alistair MacNeill who also penned a few sequals to Guns of Navarone and its sequel Force Ten from Navarone. The book got marketed with the Alistair MacLean name large on the cover. Which leads to a case before the courts in which got contested that MacLean was actually the original writer which was not won by the publisher who by then had already sold a large amounts of books.
The book and series involves UNACO, United Nations Anti-Crime Organisation. An organisation created to stop international crime in this case the chase of stolen enriched uranium which is transported by a train, hence the title Death Train. The various members of acteam working for UNACO are racing to stop the Train before its blows up in central Europe or before its leaves for a final destination.
The characters are mostly entertaining but feel incomplete and the story at times to light on its feet. But it is an entertaining tale that occassionaly steers into internal illogical storytelling. But as an actioner it moves quickly forward. You do see however the screenplay in the story.
Pierce 007 Brosnan and Alexandra Baywatch Paul are the actionstars in the movie with a cast also containing Patrick Picard/prof X Stewart and Christopher Lee.
Sadly it is a splendid B movie with an A cast, which can be said of the book as well.
MacNeill however is an able writer who can deliver, I hope that May be more the case in the next novel in this series.
The book and series involves UNACO, United Nations Anti-Crime Organisation. An organisation created to stop international crime in this case the chase of stolen enriched uranium which is transported by a train, hence the title Death Train. The various members of acteam working for UNACO are racing to stop the Train before its blows up in central Europe or before its leaves for a final destination.
The characters are mostly entertaining but feel incomplete and the story at times to light on its feet. But it is an entertaining tale that occassionaly steers into internal illogical storytelling. But as an actioner it moves quickly forward. You do see however the screenplay in the story.
Pierce 007 Brosnan and Alexandra Baywatch Paul are the actionstars in the movie with a cast also containing Patrick Picard/prof X Stewart and Christopher Lee.
Sadly it is a splendid B movie with an A cast, which can be said of the book as well.
MacNeill however is an able writer who can deliver, I hope that May be more the case in the next novel in this series.
March 2, 2024
Alistair Maclean es sin duda uno de mis escritores favoritos, me fascinan sus novelas, cada vez que tengo la oportunidad de echarle la mano a uno de sus libros no me lo pienso dos veces. Sin embargo con El Tren de la Muerte debo hacer un alto. Me cuesta creer que Alistair Maclean haya escrito la totalidad de este título, no es propio de su estilo, le falta una enormidad de condimentos para asemejarse a sus reconocidos éxitos.
En desmedro de todo aquello, aún así no es un desastre total, tiene sus cositas interesantes, no puedo negar que por momentos me entretuvo pero nunca llegó a deleitarme.
Se puede leer con relativa facilidad, pero sigue siendo un título muy mediano. Si quieres empezar a leer al gran Alistair Maclean hay un montón de mejores opciones, ya que El Tren de la Muerte está muy lejos de ser una de sus mejores obras.
3⭐ ni más ni menos.
En desmedro de todo aquello, aún así no es un desastre total, tiene sus cositas interesantes, no puedo negar que por momentos me entretuvo pero nunca llegó a deleitarme.
Se puede leer con relativa facilidad, pero sigue siendo un título muy mediano. Si quieres empezar a leer al gran Alistair Maclean hay un montón de mejores opciones, ya que El Tren de la Muerte está muy lejos de ser una de sus mejores obras.
3⭐ ni más ni menos.
September 21, 2015
My advice is to read all the books MacLean finished himself first (yes, even the poor ones) and then watch the TV movie off this (no, it's not so good either, but it's got Chris Lee and Pierce Brosnan). If you still haven't had enough it's time to read this book.
September 13, 2025
I found this at a used book shop and paid $1.95 for it. I greatly overpaid. This is coasting on Alistair MacLean's name, like how Tom Clancy's Omega Force books came out after his death.
Unfortunately, even MacLean at his worst couldn't plump these depths. The kindest thing I can think of to say about it, is that if you love witless drivel, you'll love this!
Unfortunately, even MacLean at his worst couldn't plump these depths. The kindest thing I can think of to say about it, is that if you love witless drivel, you'll love this!
April 12, 2023
2,5 stars.
So I found this kind of mid? The writing's very direct and the story is. Well. Mid I guess?
It's an okayish story is what I mean.
I've read nothing else on this series so no comparison between the original author's style of said series and this one.
So I found this kind of mid? The writing's very direct and the story is. Well. Mid I guess?
It's an okayish story is what I mean.
I've read nothing else on this series so no comparison between the original author's style of said series and this one.
February 9, 2018
Death Train, is a far-fetched thriller― a train journey far from smooth, as villains set out to deliver a dangerous wagon load while a team from UNACO – an international police force, set out to stop them. Written after the death of Alistair Maclean and contrary to the large misleading print on the cover, this was a novel written by an Alastair MacNeil (set out in small print). The plot though is based on an Alistair Maclean’s story line and could have been a best seller, but needed Maclean’s expertise in making the story plausible. This story fell well below the standard one would expect from Alistair Maclean
May 30, 2024
In the action-packed novel published in 1989, an international organization created at the top level of the United Nations has been established to promote the safety of the global community. It uses top agents from all over the world and sends them to various countries where trouble is brewing which may affect world peace. Three agents, CW Whitlock, Sabrina Carver and Mike Graham have been called in to locate six stolen kegs of plutonium, a dangerous cargo capable of creating an explosion worse than the one in Nagasaki, Japan in World War II. The dangerous cargo is packed in six reinforced kegs, traveling by train to an unknown location. Their mission is to stop the train, which is believed to have started its journey in Germany, find out where the train is headed, recover the cargo and capture those responsible for the theft.
What follows is the action-packed events of that mission, an all-out search for the bad guys, with every known mishap derailing the good guys. There is minimal character development, just scene after scene of mishaps, mayhem, setbacks and adverse encounters with a number of villains.
The novel has an interesting provenance. Although the cover of the novel has the Alistair MacLean name in big bold font at the top, readers will note the name of Alastair MacNeil in small font and print at the bottom. It is MacNeil who actually wrote the book, not MacLean, but a quick look at the cover easily misled readers into thinking Alistair Maclean had written the novel. The publishers had tried to ride the wave of MacLean’s popularity after his death in 1987, using a misleading cover design to fuel its sales, a ruse which was successfully in jettisoning its sales. The similarity between the two first and last author’s names increased the possible confusion and added another layer to the deception. The publishers were eventually sued for misleading the public and required to use a different cover design on all subsequent printings.
MacLean had been by commissioned by an American movie mogul to write a series of outlines for possible films, but this one never made it to the screen. It is from his detailed outline that MacNeil penned the novel, which in part explains why it has such a fast-moving plot, filled with action and almost completely devoid of character development. It was meant to be a movie, never a novel. The result is a farfetched story of the good guys versus the bad guys, with plenty of mishaps and mayhem in between. There are the usual set of nasty evil bad guys including Russians, the KGB, arms dealers and the usual amoral businessman. Of course, the good guys predictably win the battle of good versus evil and the world’s people remain safe to face another day.
Readers would be well advised to pick up another book. This is certainly not one I would recommend.
What follows is the action-packed events of that mission, an all-out search for the bad guys, with every known mishap derailing the good guys. There is minimal character development, just scene after scene of mishaps, mayhem, setbacks and adverse encounters with a number of villains.
The novel has an interesting provenance. Although the cover of the novel has the Alistair MacLean name in big bold font at the top, readers will note the name of Alastair MacNeil in small font and print at the bottom. It is MacNeil who actually wrote the book, not MacLean, but a quick look at the cover easily misled readers into thinking Alistair Maclean had written the novel. The publishers had tried to ride the wave of MacLean’s popularity after his death in 1987, using a misleading cover design to fuel its sales, a ruse which was successfully in jettisoning its sales. The similarity between the two first and last author’s names increased the possible confusion and added another layer to the deception. The publishers were eventually sued for misleading the public and required to use a different cover design on all subsequent printings.
MacLean had been by commissioned by an American movie mogul to write a series of outlines for possible films, but this one never made it to the screen. It is from his detailed outline that MacNeil penned the novel, which in part explains why it has such a fast-moving plot, filled with action and almost completely devoid of character development. It was meant to be a movie, never a novel. The result is a farfetched story of the good guys versus the bad guys, with plenty of mishaps and mayhem in between. There are the usual set of nasty evil bad guys including Russians, the KGB, arms dealers and the usual amoral businessman. Of course, the good guys predictably win the battle of good versus evil and the world’s people remain safe to face another day.
Readers would be well advised to pick up another book. This is certainly not one I would recommend.
Read
February 28, 2025I was not hoodwinked by the title and possessive apostrophe - indeed, I have a special fascination with books (particularly mystery novels) which were outlined or started by an author before their death, and then finished by someone else (though I much prefer the co-byline).
I've only read a few MacLeans, particularly Where Eagles Dare and Night Without End as a teen, and Where Eagles Dare again recently. [I'm also *fairly* sure I read The Satan Bug in that same period where I was obsessed with The Andromeda Strain and wanted to get my hands on anything like it.)
Anyways, I'm always down to tear through an adventure paperback, and as mentioned curious about the books started by one and finished by another. Usually where I find the greatest disconnect or 'seams showing' as it were is in the prose.
But here despite MacLean having outlined the book, it was the plot which was barely a pale imitation of the deceased author's oeuvre. Or rather, the way the various plot complications were introduced and twists were revealed. Also, the interpersonal motivations which had before been wry and could perhaps sometimes been accused of jadedness but not 'detached nastiness or sexuality solely for plot's sake.' But don't worry, the prose strains to the point of agony, too, though everyone's jobs and clothes are described in painstaking detail, there's no soul or meaning to them.
Got halfway, DNF
I've only read a few MacLeans, particularly Where Eagles Dare and Night Without End as a teen, and Where Eagles Dare again recently. [I'm also *fairly* sure I read The Satan Bug in that same period where I was obsessed with The Andromeda Strain and wanted to get my hands on anything like it.)
Anyways, I'm always down to tear through an adventure paperback, and as mentioned curious about the books started by one and finished by another. Usually where I find the greatest disconnect or 'seams showing' as it were is in the prose.
But here despite MacLean having outlined the book, it was the plot which was barely a pale imitation of the deceased author's oeuvre. Or rather, the way the various plot complications were introduced and twists were revealed. Also, the interpersonal motivations which had before been wry and could perhaps sometimes been accused of jadedness but not 'detached nastiness or sexuality solely for plot's sake.' But don't worry, the prose strains to the point of agony, too, though everyone's jobs and clothes are described in painstaking detail, there's no soul or meaning to them.
Got halfway, DNF
December 2, 2021
Bad. Stupid. Dumb. Poorly conceived and poorly written. It started off rather clumsily, but I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and continue. And at times I was glad I did. At other times, I wanted to chew my own head off. I can't believe I finished this trash. Alistair MacLean was a master. Alastair MacNeill is an imbecile. I don't know how much of the book MacLean had written at the time of his death, but I'm willing to bet MacNeill wrote about 95%+ of this. MacLean couldn't possibly have written such junk.
It's a new world calling for new types of security, a type involving world cooperation. Thus, UNACO is born. The United Nations Anti-Crime Agency is known only at the top levels of the United Nations and has unlimited powers and funding and it pulls in its agents from the top intelligence agencies around the world.
Enter George, Sabrina, and CW. These are our heroes. They're sent to Europe to look for six kegs allegedly containing weapons grade plutonium on a train. They're to find the kegs, and find out who's behind this nefarious plot. CW goes to Germany where it seems the plutonium originated from. He poses as a journalist and is met by the PR director of a big nuclear plant who is, of course, hot and who blows his cover on day one. But oh no -- she's trapped and in trouble and her office is bugged! She needs saving. Someone follows them and attacks her. Someone is after CW. What will happen?
Meanwhile Sabrina and George get on the train. George is a gruff asshole who hates Sabrina because she's a rich, hottie princess who, he thinks, got the job through her father. However, she's the best shot in UNACO and that's how she got the job, and she's a sweetie who we all fall in love with. Sickened yet? On the train, George meets someone who has constructed a game that he agrees to play. It involves putting your hand in constraints that contain electrical voltage and putting your hand on the board, the voltage increases and the first person to move their hand away loses. How stupid is that? So Sabrina sees an old ex of hers who's a world renown billionaire on the train with some losers and starts talking to them. One of the losers is an assassin and tells this rich guy that this was the woman who killed one of his henchmen earlier. So they plan to snatch her. And they do. And she gets arrested and thrown into a Swiss jail, where she's booked on a murder charge. And UNACO gets her off and puts her on the train again, via helicopter. George has been joined by a Russian KGB agent working for UNACO dressed as a priest and soon they're joined by Sabrina, who's dressed as a nun. Forgive me if my memory falters, but I think George and Sabrina are captured once again and escape once again and are put on the train once again. But I could be wrong.
Meanwhile, CW is making headway in Germany. The head of product testing is trying to kill him and CW confronts him and he's taken into custody. Pleased that things are working out so well there, he's prepared to leave to go back to NYC when he gets a frantic call from the PR lady with a man telling him to go to the nuclear plant immediately, so he does. When he gets there, he's disarmed and taken to a place in the plant with a large pool of water, where he's taken up a ladder onto a catwalk. Only to be met by the PR woman with his gun pointed at him. Huge.Shock. Never saw that coming. Yeah. He kills her. Spoiler, sorry.
The train makes it to Italy, but the car carrying the kegs is missing and so are the bad guys. Turns out they're headed for Libya, by way of another African country. George and Sabrina take off, Berretas in hand. This author really should be a salesman for Berreta. They're taken to the rich guy's plant by helicopter, disable a guard, go in a warehouse and see the bad guys. They've been instructed to assassinate them. As Sabrina gets ready to go for the kill shot, she hears something and discovers it's a rat. So the poor, stupid, pathetic girl shrieks and falls to the floor, dropping her gun, resulting in the bad guys shooting at them and capturing them once again. *shakes head* So they're going to be killed, right? How? George is going to put his hand back in that game and play a death match with one of their men, who has never lost. So how will Sabrina die? We're never told. While George is struggling with his pain, Sabrina is cutting her bonds loose with broken glass and then frees George. A guard comes back and announces he's to kill them and George twists his neck and kills him. Just like that. Easy as pie. And so the chase continues. The rich guy has the detonator for the plutonium. He presses it as they're killing him, spoiler -- sorry -- and nothing happens. All the bad guys get killed, the good guys win, they go back to NYC to celebrate, George asks Sabrina out on a date and the KGB chief in charge of all of this is placed under arrest, but apparently chooses to kill himself first. Book over.
There are so many stereotypes. And so many foreshadowed moments you just see coming. And so little character development. And such a stupid plot. And UNACO is all powerful. Must be nice, right? This will undoubtedly be the only Alastair MacNeill book I read. Definitely not recommended.
It's a new world calling for new types of security, a type involving world cooperation. Thus, UNACO is born. The United Nations Anti-Crime Agency is known only at the top levels of the United Nations and has unlimited powers and funding and it pulls in its agents from the top intelligence agencies around the world.
Enter George, Sabrina, and CW. These are our heroes. They're sent to Europe to look for six kegs allegedly containing weapons grade plutonium on a train. They're to find the kegs, and find out who's behind this nefarious plot. CW goes to Germany where it seems the plutonium originated from. He poses as a journalist and is met by the PR director of a big nuclear plant who is, of course, hot and who blows his cover on day one. But oh no -- she's trapped and in trouble and her office is bugged! She needs saving. Someone follows them and attacks her. Someone is after CW. What will happen?
Meanwhile Sabrina and George get on the train. George is a gruff asshole who hates Sabrina because she's a rich, hottie princess who, he thinks, got the job through her father. However, she's the best shot in UNACO and that's how she got the job, and she's a sweetie who we all fall in love with. Sickened yet? On the train, George meets someone who has constructed a game that he agrees to play. It involves putting your hand in constraints that contain electrical voltage and putting your hand on the board, the voltage increases and the first person to move their hand away loses. How stupid is that? So Sabrina sees an old ex of hers who's a world renown billionaire on the train with some losers and starts talking to them. One of the losers is an assassin and tells this rich guy that this was the woman who killed one of his henchmen earlier. So they plan to snatch her. And they do. And she gets arrested and thrown into a Swiss jail, where she's booked on a murder charge. And UNACO gets her off and puts her on the train again, via helicopter. George has been joined by a Russian KGB agent working for UNACO dressed as a priest and soon they're joined by Sabrina, who's dressed as a nun. Forgive me if my memory falters, but I think George and Sabrina are captured once again and escape once again and are put on the train once again. But I could be wrong.
Meanwhile, CW is making headway in Germany. The head of product testing is trying to kill him and CW confronts him and he's taken into custody. Pleased that things are working out so well there, he's prepared to leave to go back to NYC when he gets a frantic call from the PR lady with a man telling him to go to the nuclear plant immediately, so he does. When he gets there, he's disarmed and taken to a place in the plant with a large pool of water, where he's taken up a ladder onto a catwalk. Only to be met by the PR woman with his gun pointed at him. Huge.Shock. Never saw that coming. Yeah. He kills her. Spoiler, sorry.
The train makes it to Italy, but the car carrying the kegs is missing and so are the bad guys. Turns out they're headed for Libya, by way of another African country. George and Sabrina take off, Berretas in hand. This author really should be a salesman for Berreta. They're taken to the rich guy's plant by helicopter, disable a guard, go in a warehouse and see the bad guys. They've been instructed to assassinate them. As Sabrina gets ready to go for the kill shot, she hears something and discovers it's a rat. So the poor, stupid, pathetic girl shrieks and falls to the floor, dropping her gun, resulting in the bad guys shooting at them and capturing them once again. *shakes head* So they're going to be killed, right? How? George is going to put his hand back in that game and play a death match with one of their men, who has never lost. So how will Sabrina die? We're never told. While George is struggling with his pain, Sabrina is cutting her bonds loose with broken glass and then frees George. A guard comes back and announces he's to kill them and George twists his neck and kills him. Just like that. Easy as pie. And so the chase continues. The rich guy has the detonator for the plutonium. He presses it as they're killing him, spoiler -- sorry -- and nothing happens. All the bad guys get killed, the good guys win, they go back to NYC to celebrate, George asks Sabrina out on a date and the KGB chief in charge of all of this is placed under arrest, but apparently chooses to kill himself first. Book over.
There are so many stereotypes. And so many foreshadowed moments you just see coming. And so little character development. And such a stupid plot. And UNACO is all powerful. Must be nice, right? This will undoubtedly be the only Alastair MacNeill book I read. Definitely not recommended.
September 19, 2019
Fajne czytadełko na koniec wakacji
Pochłonęłam je siedząc w marszrutce i przedzierając się przez magiczną Gruzje
Jako że czas letni to i książka była łatwa i przyjemna
Akcja toczy się wartko i mamy tutaj terrostysów,pluton wspomniany w tytule pociąg
i całkiem sympatycznych bohaterów
Pochłonęłam je siedząc w marszrutce i przedzierając się przez magiczną Gruzje
Jako że czas letni to i książka była łatwa i przyjemna
Akcja toczy się wartko i mamy tutaj terrostysów,pluton wspomniany w tytule pociąg
i całkiem sympatycznych bohaterów
November 30, 2017
didn't finish - written in 1989 a slow moving story
December 14, 2017
Superfast!
May 15, 2018
Excellent thriller, loved the characters
Read
September 20, 2019My first introduction to MacLean... Went on to read many more.
July 22, 2022
A quick but thrilling read, slowed down by contrived coincidences
December 6, 2022
Lekker spannend; geheel volgens de regels gebeurt niets zomaar uit het niets. Altijd kadert alles in een breder kader. Eigenlijk is dit puike ontspanning. De ontknoping is helemaal juist.
January 16, 2025
Pretty interesting story of how significant amounts of plutonium could be siphoned slowly from a reactor and eventually shipped to nations desiring nuclear weapons.
May 7, 2025
I have known about the MacNeill completions of MacLean plots since they first arrived on the shelves in the late 1980s. I avoided reading them as I knew they would not measure up to MacLean at his best. Of course, a few of MacLean's last 10 novels were not up to par with such classics as Guns of Navarone, Ice Station Zebra, or HMS Ulysses themselves. But still, the great storyteller was gone, so I found it depressing that someone else was trying to fill his shoes. But I have long hungered for more MacLean. So, having re-read all of his originals at least 2ce each (with 4 or more readings of, for example, Force 10 From Navarone and When Eight Bells Toll), I bit the bullet and picked up some used copies of Death Train and Night Watch, both claiming to be MacLean outlines completed by MacNeill. Oy! I mean, they are somewhat entertaining quick reads, but this one at least does not live up to the level of "The Master Storyteller" himself. If you are DESPERATE for a MacLeanish fix, go for it, but read the originals first, especially those written between the mid-1950s and early-70s.
October 29, 2016
A freight train running across Europe (in the late 80s), stolen nuclear material, terrorists attempting to get it out of continental Europe whilst the UN law enforcement branch tries to stop them... sounds pretty good huh.... well it's okay.
This is the first post mortem book of Alistair Maclean's - meaning he wrote the outline of the story and the actual story was filled in by Alastair MacNeill. So whilst it read of reads like a Maclean book there's something you can't quite put your finger on that has the story not quite coming together as well as expected.
It's an alright book but I would recommend MacLean's other books over this one, if you're stuck with the choice between this and a shampoo bottle though, it's not a bad choice.
This is the first post mortem book of Alistair Maclean's - meaning he wrote the outline of the story and the actual story was filled in by Alastair MacNeill. So whilst it read of reads like a Maclean book there's something you can't quite put your finger on that has the story not quite coming together as well as expected.
It's an alright book but I would recommend MacLean's other books over this one, if you're stuck with the choice between this and a shampoo bottle though, it's not a bad choice.
March 30, 2015
This 1988 Alistair MacLean's paper back deals with a clandestine UN organization that address illegal and dangerous situations around the world. In this case its the shipment of stolen plutonium that the agents are tracking as it travels by train across Europe while also trying to find and apprehend the parties doing he shipping.
March 27, 2009
The movie was much better than the book. The movies named was originally "Death Train" but was changed to "Detinator". MacLean died while writing this book. It was completed by his understudy. I think that is why we lose that Alistair MacLean flavor in the book.
Read
October 17, 2010I really enjoyed it!!
May 3, 2016
read some time in 1994
April 27, 2025
Desse "Alistair MacLean's"-greiene var rare, men når det var tomt for MacLean på biblioteket, så tok eg det eg kunne få. Men det var ikkje heilt det same.
August 15, 2010
I had trouble getting into the book.
March 28, 2017
Suckered by the train on the cover! The secret agents saving the world from terrorists is a crowded space. Perhaps this would of been a standout back in 1988 when it was written (seriously doubt that). Today, there are just too many books to read on the subject to get bogged down with this caliber of a novel
Read
June 24, 2017Dansk titel: Dødens tog
May 7, 2018
I finished this book, but it really wasn’t satisfactory. Not enough character development or plausible action. Stereotyped characters. I kept thinking “Not again” when things went wrong. But I did finish it. Needed a more skilled touch, I think. About 2.5 Stars, can’t bring myself to give it 3 stars.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews